Elastic mat for upholstery and process of making same



y 3, 1956 J. BUCHKREMER ETAL 2,753,286

ELASTIC MAT FOR UPHQLSTERY AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Filed 001;. 251951 INVENTOR..' Josie? B u flKremer am! MMMQ S+Al1 1 wait United StatesPatent 1 ELASTIC MAT FOR UPHOLSTERY AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME JosefBuchkremer, Oherbruch, and Heinrich Sonnenschein, Grebben, BezirkHeinsberg, Germany, assignors, by mesne assignments, to American EnkaCorporation, Enka, N. C., a corporation of Delaware Application October23, 1951, Serial No. 252,798 9 Claims. (Cl. 154-90) The presentinvention relates to process for manufacturing permanently-elasticupholstering material.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a process fortreating materials to be used for upholstering so as to make thesematerials elastic.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process fortreating materials to be used for upbolstering so that these materialswill remain elastic permanently in hot and/or damp climates.

It has been known in the past that upholstering materials could be madefrom artificial threads such as synthetic resin and artificially spuncellulose and cellulose derivative materials preferably monofilar madefrom viscose which are washed free from the chemicals used for spinning.In fact such materials were produced in one continuous operation bygathering freshly spun artificial monofilaments (artificial horsehair)into a cable, crimping by drying, loosening to form a crimped band ofparallel crimped threads, spraying the crimped band with a binder whichremains elastic after drying and/or vulcanization, for example anemulsion of rubber latex. A number of such bands are then placed on oneanother layerwise, pressed and vulcanized in known manner to produce aband of upholstering material.

The above process afforded a method of manufacturing of upholstering;material from artificial monofilament threads in a simplified sequenceof operations. The upholstering material formed in this manner was thenready, needing only cutting into the desired sizes, for use by theupholsterer. The product thus formed besides being cheaper due to theeconomic method of production had the advantage of some improvedqualities, such as strength and elasticity.

The layers of threads in this process are sprayed with an elastic bindersuch as rubber latex before the next crimped band is superimposedlayerwise upon it. This is then treated under pressure where it iscompressed to the desired thickness and then stabilized by vulcanizationof the rubber latex mixture.

Although the upholstering material thus produced was substantiallyelastic it was found that its elasticity was substantially reducedduring days with a high relative humidity. Study shows that thediminishing elasticity was interrelated with the water taken up by thematerial. Swelling caused by the taking up of water into the threadsreduced the elasticity. The present invention removes this disadvantageby keeping to a minimium the ability of the threads to take up water.

The present invention provides a process wherein the amount of elasticbinder with which the artificial threads are treated is in a quantity ofnot less than one and onehalf times the weight of the artificialthreads. In other words the proportionate weight of thread being treatedto elastic binder is 1:1 /2.

By coating these threads with this amount of elastic binder whichremains elastic after drying and/or vulcanization the upholsteringmaterial made from such 2,753,286 iF'atented July 3, 1956 threadsretains its elasticity in warm and/ or damp climates because the coatingreduces to a minimum the amount of water that can be taken up by thethreads.

It is necessary to use this large amount of elastic binder in order toassure each individual. fiber being completely coated with an excess ofbinder. Tests have shown that when so coated the upholstering materialretains its elasticity permanently.

Tests have further determined that binder in at least one and one-halftimes the weight of the fibers must be used in order to completely covereach individual fiber so that the fibers can retain their elasticity.Preferably it has been found that the amount of elastic binder should betwice the weight of the threads being coated.

The elastic binder such as rubber latex may be in a solution or emulsionor any other mixture which will facilitate the coating of the threads.This solution or emulsion may be sprayed on the threads or the threadsmay be drawn through it, the requirement being that the threads take upat least one and one half times their own weight of the elastic binderand preferably two times their Weight.

The process of the present invention is applied to materials derivedfrom artificial threads, these materials being treated by an elasticbinder or a mixture of elastic binders in an amount at least one and onehalf times the weight of the material being treated. The material beingtreated may be a final vulcanized material or it may be a material whichhas been prepared for vulcanization. In the first case the materialwould be sprayed or otherwise treated with the elastic binder, thetreated material then being dried to remove all traces of water. Thisdried material may then be used by upholsterers and has the qualities ofgreater strength and elasticity and the additional particular quality ofpermanent elasticity in any climate. In the latter case, vulcanizationafter being sprayed with the elastic binder, the elastic binder may bein a mixture which includes vulcanizing materials. It is also possiblefor the material to be first treated with vulcanizing material and thensprayed with the elastic binder. In either case the spraying step isfollowed by a vulcanizing step which causes the elastic binder to firmlyadhere to the material derived from artificial thread, the treatedmaterial being dried by the vulcanization.

T he process of the present invention whether applied to materialsbefore or after vulcanization will yield a distinctly improved productespecially in terms of permanent elasticity.

The binders employable with the present process are those which willremain elastic after drying and/0r vulcanization, i. e. will not renderthe fibers brittle or fragile. Excellent results have been obtained withnatural rubber latex as binder. This binder as stated above may be mixedwith well-known vulcanization additions.

Favorable results have also been obtained with prevulcanized latexconcentrates. Other usable elastic binders are emulsions of artificialrubber-like materials for example of mixed polymerizates ofbutadiene-styrene or of chloro-butadiene polymerizates.

For many purposes artificial resins are also suitable as binders,although the above-mentioned rubberlike sub stances are preferred. Forexample, emulsions can be employed which contain as basic substancespolymerization products of vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, and otherpolymerizable unsaturated compounds.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof,

1 will be best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a portion of the apparatus of theinvention; and

Fig.2 is aschematic view of a'further' portion of the apparatus of theinvention.

Referring now to the drawings, it can be seen from Fig'. 1 that cable12, consisting of a number of monofilar threads is beingfed in thedirection indicated by the arrow-A into a first twisting device 1 whichis adapted to produce an over twist. The over twist of the cable ismaintained by the second twisting device 3, shown in Fig. 1 to the rightof the first twisting device 1, the cable 12 between the first andsecond twisting devices being passed through a drying tube 2, whereinthe cable is dried in order to stabilize the crimping. The cable 12leaving the second twisting device is automatically untwisted and isthen fed to a spreading device 4, where it is spread out into the bandindicated at 12, whereafter this band 12 is wound up on roller 5, whichis shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 shows, in side view, seven such rollers 5 from each of which aband 12' is being unrolled and fed, in the direction indicated by thearrow B, superposed one on top of the other, onto a conveyor belt 6. Thesuperposed bands 12 are then sprayed from the top and bottom with anadhesive elastic binding material by means of the spray nozzles 7 whichare located above and below the superposed bands 12' and to one side ofthe conveyer belt 6. To the right of the spray nozzle 7, as seen in Fig.2, the arrows 8 indicate the positions where warm air for the drying isblown against the superposed bands, now covered with adhesive elasticbinding material. The latter bands are then fed between a pressingdevice 9 and conveyer belt 10, where they are compressed to form a matof elastic material 12", which is then subsequently fed to thevulcanizing and heating zone 11.

The following example is given by means of illustration onlyand is notmeant to limit the scope of the present invention.

400 monofilament threads freshly spun from viscose and having anindividual titer of 1000 deniers coming from one or more spinningmachines were washed in the form of a cable and predried to a watercontent of approximately 50%. The cable was fed to a twisting device,known per se, which produced an overtwist. The overtwist of the cablewas maintained by a subsequent twisting device andthe cable between thetwo twisting devices passed through a drying tube where it was dried toa water content of 12% so as to stabilize the crimping. The cableleaving the second twisting device untwisted itself automatically, wasspread out into a crimped band of 60 cm. width and wound up on rolls inthis width. Seven such rolls were sprayed in the above described mannerwith a 60% rubber latex mixture containing the necessary vulcanizingconditions. of band containing 400 threads the amount of rubber latexsprayed was equal to 800 grams of rubber latex. This is an amount equalto twice the weight of the threads being sprayed.

The multi-layered endless structure produced in this way having a widthof 60 cms. and a height of approximately cms. was continuouslycompressed by means of a pressing device to a height of 5 cms. The bandof upholstering material thus produced was predried at 75 C. toevaporate the water introduced with the rubber latex and was thenvulcanized at 100 C. in a heating zone. On leaving the heating zone theband of upholstering material was dusted with talcum and made up in aform ready for sale.

It will be understod thateach of the elements described above, or two ormore together, may also find a useful application in other types ofupholstering materials differing from the types describedabove.

While-the invention has been illustrated anddescribed For each 9 metersas embodied in a process for the manufacture of elastic upholsteringmaterials, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, sincevarious modifications and structural changes may be made withoutdeparting in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspectsof this invention and,therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehendedwithin the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A process. of producing an elastic mat for upholstery, comprising thesteps of forming an elongated loose layer consisting of individuallycrimped artificial cellulosic filaments arranged with their axesextending substantially in direction of said elongated layer and eachhaving crimps extending normal to the plane of said layer'and beingarranged haphazardly with respect to the crimps of the other filamentsof the layer so as to form a coherent band which is resilientperpendicularly to said plane; and applying to said band an elasticbinder substance adapted to be made adhesive by activation in an amountof between one and one-half and two times the weight of said band so asto coat said filaments with said elastic binder; activating said elasticbinder substance so as to make the same adhesive, thus causing thefilaments to adhere to each other and forming a resilient upholstering'mat of crimped adhering filaments.

2. A process of producing an elastic mat for upholstery, comprising thesteps of forming an elongated loose layer mass consisting of a pluralityof superimposed layers each of which consists of individually crimpedartificial cellulosic filaments arranged with their axes extendingsubstantially in directionof said elongated layer and each having crimpsextending normal to the plane of said layer and being arrangedhaphazardly with respect to the crimps of the other filaments of thelayer so as to form a coherent band which is resilient perpendicularlyto said plane; applying to said band a solution of an adhesive elasticbinder substance, said elastic binder substance being in an amount ofbetween one and one-half and two timesthe weight of said band, thuscoating said filaments with said elastic binder; and drying said band offilaments coated with said elastic binder so as to cause said binder toadhere to said filaments, thus causing the filaments to adhere to eachother and forming a resilient upholstering matof crimped adheringfilaments.

3. A process of producing an elastic mat for upholstery,

comprising the steps of forming an elongated loose layer mass consistingof a plurality of superimposed layers each of which consists ofindividually crimped artificial cellulosic filaments arranged with theiraxes extending substantially in direction of said elongated layer andeach having crimps extending normal to the plane of said layerand beingarranged haphazardly with respect to the crimps of the other filamentsof the layer so as to form a coherent band which is resilientperpendicularly to said plane; applying to said band an emulsion of anadhesive elastic binder substance, said elastic binder substance beingin an amount of between one and one-half and two times the weight ofsaid band, thus coating said filaments with said elastic binder; anddrying said band of filaments coated with said elastic binder so as tocause said binder to adhere to said filaments, thus causing thefilaments to adhereto each other and forming a resilient upholsteringmat of crimped adhering filaments.

4. A process of producing an elastic mat for upholstery, comprising thesteps of forming an elongated loose layer consisting of individuallycrimped artificial cellulosic filaments arranged withtheirtiXesextending substantially in direction of said elongated layerand each having crimps extending normal to the plane of said layer andbeing arranged haphazardly with respect to the crimps of the otherfilaments of the layer so as to form a coherent band which is resilientperpendicularly to said plane; and applying to said band an adhesiverubber latex binder in an amount of between one and one-half and twotimes the weight of said band so as to coat said filaments with saidrubber latex binder, thus causing the filaments to adhere to each otherand forming a resilient upholstering mat of crimped adhering filaments.

5. A process of producing an elastic mat for up holstery, comprising thesteps of forming an elongated loose layer mass consisting of a pluralityof superimposed layers each of which consists of individually crimpedartificial cellulosic filaments arranged with their axes extendingsubstantially in direction of said elongated layer and each havingcrimps extending normal to the plane of said layer and being arrangedhaphazardly with respect to the crimps of the other filaments of thelayer so as to form a coherent band which is resilient perpendicularlyto said plane; applying to said band an adhesive rubber latex binderincluding vulcanizing materials, said rubber latex binder being in anamount of between one and one-ha1f and two times the weight of saidband, thus coating said filaments with said rubber latex binder;vulcanizing said rubber latex binder coated on said filaments so as tocause said binder to adhere to said filaments, thus causing thecontacted filaments to adhere to each other and forming a resilientupholstering mat of crimped adhering filaments.

6. A process of producing an elastic mat for upholstery, comprising thesteps of forming an elongated loose layer consisting of individuallycrimped artificial cellulosic filaments arranged with their axesextending substantially in direction of said elongated layer and eachhaving crimps extending normal to the plane of said layer and beingarranged haphazardly with respect to the crimps of the other filamentsof the layer so as to form a coherent band which is resilientperpendicularly to said plane; superposing a plurality of said bandsatop one another so as to form a multiple band thereof; and applying tothe thus formed multiple coherent resilient band an adhesive bindersubstance in an amount of between one and one-half and two times theweight of said multiple band so as to coat said filaments with saidelastic binder, thus causing the filaments to adhere to each other andforming a resilient upholstering mat of crimped adhering filaments.

7. An elastic mat for upholstery consisting of an elongated coherentband of individually crimped artificial cellulosic filaments arrangedwith their axes extending substantially in the direction of saidelongated band and each having crimps extending normal to the plane ofsaid band and being arranged haphazardly with respect to the crimps ofthe other filaments of said band, said filaments being coated with anelastic binder firmly adhering thereto and being in an amount of betweenone and one-half and two times the Weight of said filaments.

8. An elastic mat for upholstery consisting of an elongated coherentband of individually crimped viscose filameats arranged with their axesextending substantially in the direction of said elongated band and eachhaving crimps extending normal to the plane of said band and beingarranged haphazardly with respect to the crimps of the other filamentsof said band, said filaments being coated with an elastic binder firmlyadhering thereto and being in an amount of between one and one-half andtwo times the weight of said filaments.

9. An elastic mat for upholstery consisting of an elongated coherentband of individually crimped artificial cellulosic filaments arrangedwith their axes extending substantially in the direction of saidelongated band and each having crimps extending normal to the plane ofsaid band and being arranged haphazardly with respect to the crimps ofthe other filaments of said band, said filaments being coated with arubber latex binder firmly adhering thereto and being in an amount ofbetween one and one-half and two times the weight of said filaments.

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1. A PROCESS OF PRODUCING AN ELASTIC MAT FOR UPHOLSTERY, COMPRISING THESTEPS OF FORMING AN ELONGATED LOOSE LAYER CONSISTING OF INDIVIDUALLYCRIMPED ARTIFICIAL CELLULOSIC FILAMENTS ARRANGED WITH THEIR AXESEXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY IN DIRECTION OF SAID ELONGATED LAYER AND EACHHAVING CRIMPS EXTENDING NORMAL TO THE PLANE OF SAID LAYER AND BEINGARRANGED HAPHAZARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE CRIMPS OF THE OTHER FILAMENTSOF THE LAYER SO AS TO FORM A COHERENT BAND WHICH IS RESILIENTPERPENDICULARLY TO SAID PLANE; AND APPLYING TO SAID BAND AN ELASTICBINDER SUBSTANCE ADAPTED TO BE MADE ADHESIVE BY ACTIVATION IN AN AMOUNTOF BETWEEN ONE AND ONE-HALF AND TWO TIMES THE WEIGHT OF SAID BAND SO ASTO COAT SAID FILAMENTS WITH SAID ELASTIC BINDER; ACTIVATING SAID ELASTICBINDER SUBSTANCE SO AS TO MAKE THE SAME ADHESIVE, THUS CAUSING THEFILAMENTS TO ADHERE TO EACH OTHER AND FORMING A RESILIENT UPHOLSTERINGMAT OF CRIMPED ADHERING FILAMENTS.
 7. AN ELASTIC MAT FOR UPHOLSTERYCONSISTING OF AN ELONGATED COHERENT BAND OF INDIVIDUALLY CRIMPEDARTIFICAL CELLULOSIC FILAMENTS ARRANGED WITH THEIR AXES EXTENDINGSUBSTANTIALLY IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID ELONGATED BAND AND EACH HAVINGCRIMPS EXTENDING NORMAL TO THE PLANE OF SAID BAND AND BEING ARRANGEDHAPHAZARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE CRIMPS OF THE OTHER FILAMENTS OF SAIDBAND, SAID FILAMENTS BEING COATED WITH AN ELASTIC BINDER FIRMLY ADHERINGTHERETO AND BEING IN AN AMOUNT OF BETWEEN ONE AND ONE-HALF AND TWO TIMESTHE WEIGHT OF SAID FILAMENTS.